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Letter: Time for welfare reform

Posted on Nov 2, 2009 at 12:00 a.m.

Friday, Oct. 23, I was appalled to read an article in the West Central Tribune concerning the charges against Isidoro Martinez. He is charged with two felony counts for wrongfully obtaining assistance and for check forgery. This man obtained over $21,000 in assistance between Dec. 1, 2003, and Oct. 31, 2006. (Is that when he moved to North Dakota?) The article stated that Isidoro Martinez is "on the 'list'" for being in our country illegally and, therefore, not able to work.

So as I would understand it, the rules are: If you are in this country illegally, you are not able to work, but you can legally obtain assistance? Is this right? Wouldn't it be better to be here illegally and working and leave the assistance monies for those who really need it, such as legal American citizens who are working, but cannot make ends meet?

What will it take to get welfare reform? What will it take to make the process better to eliminate these errors in judgment? It seems that we have had several of these fraudulent cases lately where several thousand dollars has been given out to people who have received assistance illegally.